Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has strongly criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for replacing Mohammad Rizwan with Shaheen Shah Afridi as the One Day International (ODI) captain of the national team.
The change in leadership comes ahead of Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to begin on November 4 at the Faisalabad Cricket Stadium. The decision was finalized during a meeting in Islamabad attended by head coach Mike Hesson, Director High Performance Aqib Javed, and members of the selection committee.
Reacting on social media, Amir called the decision “unjustified” and questioned the PCB’s approach toward captaincy changes.
“I don’t think Mohammad Rizwan has been treated fairly. Rizwan was not a bad one-day captain,” Amir said.
“He led Pakistan to series wins in South Africa and Australia — something even some of our biggest captains couldn’t do. We should not have forgotten that.”
Amir, 33, emphasized the importance of long-term planning and leadership stability in Pakistan cricket, saying frequent captaincy changes harm team progress.
“Captaincy should not depend on just one good or bad series. We — former cricketers and analysts — are all responsible for this. We don’t allow captains to settle,” he noted.
Amir also suggested a gradual leadership transition, saying Shaheen Afridi should have first been made vice-captain before taking over the full role.
“If Shaheen had to be made captain, he should’ve first been tested as vice-captain, especially considering his fitness,” he said.Praising Rizwan’s leadership, Amir described him as “a smart and tactically sharp captain,” adding that Pakistan cricket needs stability, not reactionary decisions.
